More than 35 Black-owned businesses lined Kennedy Boulevard in Eatonville Saturday for the town’s first night market. The inaugural event, 1887 Night Market, is about celebrating community and history. “I brought out my son to show that where I’m from and how we as Black people are coming together to create memories and history,” an Eatonville resident said. 1887 First hosted the inaugural event. The founder, Julian Johnson, finally had a chance to see his two-year vision come to life. “We’ve been here for so long, and nothing has been going on; everything has been stagnant,” Johnson said. ” just addressing some of the immediate issues – food scarcity, no produce.” Everything from artwork to clothing, food and live entertainment was on display. “I have stuffed chicken and waffles and vegan spicy balls,” the owner of Hot Taste Vegan Goodness said. “It is very important for us to get African American or Black-owned businesses out into festivals like this so that people can know that we’re a flourishing people, that we have a lot of great business ideas.”One of them being Three Odd Guys Brewing from Apopka. “We’re always creating more and more beers constantly,” founder and owner Trod Buggs said. “Whatever I can do to continue to support other Black entrepreneurs and tell them to keep going, it’s never easy.”The founder of Black Phoenix Gardenz said she loves pursuing her passion. “Most of my community is really involved in gardening,” Zari St Jean said. “You’re in a place where you’re comfortable, that you’ve known your whole life. You don’t really have that stressful feeling of going somewhere where you don’t think you would fit in.” “I want to see people make money,” Johnson said. “I want to see dollars driving into our community so we can be able to help each other and empowering one another… Hopefully we be the biggest, Black-owned street festival market in the country.”The event will take place in Eatonville every first Saturday of the month.
More than 35 Black-owned businesses lined Kennedy Boulevard in Eatonville Saturday for the town’s first night market.
The inaugural event, 1887 Night Market, is about celebrating community and history.
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“I brought out my son to show that where I’m from and how we as Black people are coming together to create memories and history,” an Eatonville resident said.
1887 First hosted the inaugural event. The founder, Julian Johnson, finally had a chance to see his two-year vision come to life.
“We’ve been here for so long, and nothing has been going on; everything has been stagnant,” Johnson said. “[We’re] just addressing some of the immediate issues – food scarcity, no produce.”
Everything from artwork to clothing, food and live entertainment was on display.
“I have stuffed chicken and waffles and vegan spicy balls,” the owner of Hot Taste Vegan Goodness said. “It is very important for us to get African American or Black-owned businesses out into festivals like this so that people can know that we’re a flourishing people, that we have a lot of great business ideas.”
One of them being Three Odd Guys Brewing from Apopka.
“We’re always creating more and more beers constantly,” founder and owner Trod Buggs said. “Whatever I can do to continue to support other Black entrepreneurs and tell them to keep going, it’s never easy.”
The founder of Black Phoenix Gardenz said she loves pursuing her passion.
“Most of my community is really involved in gardening,” Zari St Jean said. “You’re in a place where you’re comfortable, that you’ve known your whole life. You don’t really have that stressful feeling of going somewhere where you don’t think you would fit in.”
“I want to see people make money,” Johnson said. “I want to see dollars driving into our community so we can be able to help each other and empowering one another… Hopefully we be the biggest, Black-owned street festival market in the country.”
The event will take place in Eatonville every first Saturday of the month.
